There are plenty of recipes to make a Cuban
sandwich, but only one recipe is traditional. An authentic
Cuban will not have mayonnaise, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, bell
peppers, or jalapeños. Some Cuban restaurants don't add
mustard or pickles, but they will never leave off the pork. It's the
flavor that really ties the whole sandwich together.

You can also add more ham and roast pork than
what's called for below, depending on the size of the slices or your
appetite.

If you can get your hands on fresh, crusty Cuban bread, that would
work best. But if not, you can also use a 12 to 16 inch loaf of
French Bread, cut in half.

Cut your bread lengthwise into two pieces. Spread
mustard on the inside of each half. Layer the ham slices on one
piece of bread, then top with the roasted pork. If you don't have
sliced pork, "pulled" style roast pork will also work
(some restaurants heap it on). Add Swiss
cheese on top of the pork, and then add the pickle slices.
Place the other piece of bread on top.

You have two options for cooking your sandwich if
you are using an electric sandwich press. The first option is
to use cooking spray on the press before placing the sandwich
inside. The tastier option is to brush soft butter on the outside of
both pieces of bread. You will find that it's much easier to
spread the butter on the outside of the bread before you actually
start adding meat.

Place the sandwich inside of a pre-heated Cuban
sandwich press, and press down firmly until the cheese has melted,
and the bread is slightly hard to the touch. If you don't have
a press, you can place the sandwich in a hot skillet on the stove,
and then press the sandwich down with another frying pan. Some
people, believe or not, use a brick wrapped in tin foil when nothing
else is available.

When finished, the sandwich should be flattened
down to less than half the original size. Slice the sandwich
diagonally across the middle, so that you have two triangle-shaped
wedges. Buen Provecho! Serves 1.

1. You can add or leave off ingredients as you
like, but the recipe above is used if you want to make a traditional
Cuban. The most common changes I've seen is people leaving off the
mustard or pickles.

2. In Tampa, Florida, where many believe the
Cuban sandwich was created, it is common to include salami. Although
the recipe above is for a Miami-style Cuban, it is also considered
traditional or authentic to add salami.

3. One of the most popular variations is the medianoche,
my favorite way to eat a Cuban sandwich. Medianoche is the Spanish
word for "midnight", and as the name suggests, people would often
have it as a midnight snack coming back from a night of dancing or
after a movie. The medianoche is sometimes smaller, and the only
real difference is the use of a sweet yellow egg bread (similar to
challah). Some online Latin grocery stores sell medianoche bread.

4. You can purchase an electric sandwich press
online. Don't use a panini grill. They don't heat the sandwiches evenly, and a real Cuban sandwich
doesn't have those little lines grilled into the bread.

I buy my sandwich presses from the
Cuban Food Market. Best of all, I can use them for any
type of pressed sandwich.

5. Always try to use slow-roasted pork. But if
you don't have much time to cook, many supermarkets sell a
pre-cooked roasted pork such as Hormel Pork Roast Au Jus in their
refrigerated meat section. Simply heat it up, then slice it.

6. If you don't have time to bake bread, you can
buy fresh French bread. But there are also websites that sell actual
Cuban bread from Miami,
click here to see what is available for purchase online.

Cuban Sandwich Pictures

I found
this terrific article on the "Off The Broiler" website of how a
Cuban Sandwich is made. Although the recipe used is a bit different
than the one above, these are still excellent photos. They also
have a review of a Cuban diner in Miami,
along with great photos of sandwiches.